Whose the monster now?
by deanpala
Summary: Arthur finds out Merlin has magic and feels betrayed. Then Merlin gets hit with a curse that changes Arthurs views on everything. Is better than it sounds. Deaged Reveal fic
1. Reveal

_This story is for my dear friend. Im not quite done but I hope you like what I have so far_

Merlin never thought Arthur would find out like this.

He always thought it would be in mid battle, when he had no other choice because it would save his life. He thought it might be defending another magic user or healing a wound.

He never thought he'd hurt him

Two days again, Morgana had caught him, and tortured him for days on end,

Needless to say, when Arthur woke him up from his nightmares that reenacted it, he could've reacted much better.

"Merlin, wake up we need to get to Camelot so Gaius can look at those wounds."

Arthur put a hand on Merlins shoulder and-

Found himself pinned to a tree moments later, looking up in surprise only to see golden eyes looking back in feared shock.

He dropped to the ground.

"Arthur, I'm sorry I didn't-"

"YOU HAVE MAGIC?!"

"I swear I'd never hurt-"

"Merlin, you've betrayed me! How could you do this?"

Arthur felt angry bitter tears well up in his eyes as Merlin opened his mouth to speak.

"No. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Knights, arrest him."

Gwaine looked at Arthur shocked.

"Arthur, you can't be serious!"

"He has been lying to all of us for years, just threw me a crossed the clearing, and he has magic. He has committed treason. I will decide what to do with him when we get back to Camelot."

Merlin looked up at Arthur sadly.

"Arthur listen to me-"

"No. I don't need to listen to a traitor."


	2. Escape and Knights

_This is technically a new chapter but to for fill requests I need to change a few story things so yeah._

Merlin was miserable.

It wasn't just because he had been shackled, though that may have been part of it.

No the worst part was the knights of the round table.

Leon just avoided looking at him in general, and Elyan kept looking over and glaring at him but refusing to speak with him. It only made sense, they grew up in Camelot, and with Elyan knowing how close Merlin and Gwen were along with his specific bad past with magic, but still. It hurt.

Percival was harder to figure out since he doesn't talk much to start with, but Merlin thought he'd side with him if it came to it. If not for his sake than for Gwaine and Lancelot's, they were after all, his closest friends of the round table.

Gwaine and Lancelot though, THEY were the ones who made his current situation difficult.

Which brings him to the present issue.

"Don't worry mate, I'll get you out of this I just need a second-"

"Gwaine, no."

"Merlin its fine, Lance will distract Arthur for you, and I've never really cared for nobility anyway-"

"I said NO. I want to stay here."

"... What the heck don't be stupid Merlin now come on hold still."

"Gwaine, I WANT to stay here. I can leave anytime I want I swear ok? I appreciate it, but my place is here"

"I-"

He was interrupted by the sound of leaves crunching and hurried to run to the opposite side of the clearing.


	3. Till the day I die

Arthur was having a hard time getting the fire to start with the flint he found. Of course, if a certain _someone_ hadn't betrayed him he would have to do this-

His angry thoughts were interrupted when the fire started itself and he looked over his shoulder with an angry glare at Merlin.

"What?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what Arthur?"

"The FIRE Merlin, why did you start the fire?"

"Well I just noticed you were having a hard time with it and I thought Id help out a friend, _my lord._ "

Only Merlin could make the word my lord sound s sarcastic and suddenly, Arthur found himself using all his strength to not punch him.

"Oh, please, like we were ever your friends. The only reason your still around is because you're in chains."

Within half a second, the mentioned chains fell off Merlins wrists as his eyes glowed golden.

"You mean these chains?" he said, as sassy and sarcastic as ever.

"PUT THOSE BACK ON!"

"If you say so. I just want to make one thing clear to you. _You_ can't keep me around against my will. _I_ am choosing to stay."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I care for you. Your my friend, always have been. And if you decide to kill me, so be it. Ill let you. Remember that time I said I'd be happy to be your servant till the day I died? I wasn't kidding Arthur. My life is in your hands."

Arthur tried to think of something to say but was interrupted by a shout of

"INTRUDERS!"


	4. Wheres Everyone?

Within a couple of seconds all the knights were ready for a fight and Merlin was by his side cuff less.

He glared at Merlin a moment but figured he had better things to deal with at the moment than a sorcerer that could get away anytime they wanted without a fight for the distraction.

Weren't they surprised to find out the invaders were sorcerers as well, probably here to try to free Merlin he thought bitterly.

But Merlin didn't side with them. He showed no restraint now that his secret was out, and he sent magic flying every way.

Arthurs breath caught. Gone was the clumsy servant of before, Merlin was now poetry in action.

Shaking these thoughts from his head (it was probably magic poisoning him) and he and the knights went out to fight with him.

Or at least tried to, everyone but Merlin and Arthur got hit by something and dissapeared.

The fight lasted maybe thirty minutes and by the time it ended, Arthur had only one question.

"Where's Merlin and the knights?"


	5. No Blood

_Thank you parimalik for pointing out my error the problem has been fixed_

He spent over an hour looking for Merlin and the knights before Arthur heard it.

The sniffles. He would know the sound of Merlin crying anywhere.

"Merlin? Come on out, we don't have all day."

The sniffles stopped and Arthur heard a startled gasp.

"Merlin please? Don't make me come after you."

He went toward where the sound had come from and realized that a tree he'd already walked by before seemed to be hollow. He didn't notice that before.

Nothing could've prepared him for the sight that await him in the tree however. He peeked in and-

saw a small child that couldn't be a day over seven, shivering with his bare feet turning blue.

"Merlin? Is that- you?"

The child said nothing, but it was obvious that he was Merlin. He had the same clothes, same blue eyes.

"Merlin, come out of there, your going to get frost bite. Your already turning blue."

Merlin shook his head and backed away.

Arthur let out a sigh. He was really hoping he could avoid this. And so he braced his ears, and scooped Merlin out from inside the tree.

To his surprise, Merlin didn't let out a sound besides a surprised gasp, though he did try to squirm away.

"Merlin, cant you hold still for ten freaking seconds?" Arthur asked as he tried to keep a hold on Merlin and get his own cloak off.

It was only when he finally succeeded and tried to wrap his cloak around him that Merlin said anything.

"NO! NONONONONONO NO!"

"Whats wrong?"

"I DON'T want blood on me!"

"Blood? Where?"

Merlin pointed accusingly to his cloak and was shaking at this point.

"Why would my cloak have blood on it?"

"The boys in the village say the dragon people make their cloaks red with the blood of the children they kill. Well, they didn't say children, but I know they kill them to! And I know you're going to try to hurt me!"

"Merlin I-" what was he going to say? that he wouldn't hurt him? I mean, not two hours ago he was in chains.

"Jus lemme go! I just want to be left alone!"

"Merlin, you have to stay the night. Tell you what, if you come with me we'll take care of you until I can get you to Gauis okay? Do you know who Gaius is?"

"Momma said hes a good friend who wont hurt me. But I don't wanna see him! He lives in Camelot and I don't wanna die!"

"You're not going to die okay. I just don't know how to find your mother and Gaius will get her for you okay? Then you never have to step a foot into Camelot again."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you wont kill me?"

"I-I don't know. Just- trust me. Please. Just until we get you to Gaius."

Merlin looked at him with mistrust in his eyes.

"I don't have much a choice anyway I guess."

"Good. Ill get the bedding arrangements ready."


	6. Stupid

"Excuse me mister."

Arthur let out an annoyed sigh.

"What is it Merlin?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"I don't know any."

"Sure you do! Do you know the story of Medusa?"

"Yes."

"That ones my favorite. Can you tell it please? I cant sleep without a story."

Arthur groaned but started to tell the story about how Perseus defeated Medusa.

He thought he did pretty good but then Merlin started yelling at him.

"That's not how the story goes!"

"What do you mean that's not how the story goes?"

"That was the story of Perseus, not Medusa!"

"Fine if you're so smart you tell it."

"Medusa worked in Athenas temple and one day Poseidon came down and hurt here and gave her a baby. People aren't supposed to get hurt in temples because it should be a safe place so Medusa got in trouble for getting hurt even though it wasn't her fault and her hair got turned into snakes and the snakes hated her a lot and hurt her and she had to give away the baby that was a really cool horsey with wings! Then everyone sent people after her because she was different and she turned them to stone because the snakes let her see peoples hearts and no ones perfect and she was hurt and mad and lashed out because if she should get punished for someone else hurting her then people should get punished for being bad. Then Perseus was sent to kill her and rode her own baby to do it and she died!"

"...wow I didn't know that. Did you make that up all by yourself?"

"I didn't make it up that's how it happened! That's why a lot of places made to keep people safe in Greece had a picture of her head on it, because it was a place for hurt people."

"Well the story just doesn't seem likely with no good guys and no bad guys."

"That's the stupidest thing i ever heard!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're stupid if you think that's the way it is. If you think that good guys never mess up and are always good and true and that people always know who the bad guys are because they have horns on their heads or snakes. Good guys loose and stories don't usually end happy, that's the way it is. Every bad guy started out normal and got hurt so much that they changed, no one is bad just for fun that'd be dumb!"

"Well yes everyone makes mistakes but-"

"-but why do people get called bad guys if they make one? Is it just because no one forgives them?"

"Merlin calm down its just a story."

"I know but its not right! You're a grown up and you don't even know how the world works! Its not a fun happy place where no one dies!"

"It is if the hero saves the day."

"That's stupid to."

"Why?"

Merlin looked Arthur in the eyes with unbridled seriousness and suddenly Arthur felt so young compared to the boy in front of him.

"Because heroes aren't meant to survive."

"Well if they don't survive isn't that the end of the story?"

"Death is only the end if you assume the story's about you."

Arthur felt like someone had poured ice cold water over him. How come this Merlin, as a _child_ had such dark views of the world?


	7. Can't talk about it

The next morning Arthur woke up with the sole thought on finding out more about Merlin, since he _obviously_ couldn't trust what he already learned form him. Stupid traitor.

After getting Merlin up and ready to face the day, he finally mustered up the courage to ask Merlin the question.

"Merlin, what do you think about magic?"

"...No."

"No? That doesn't really answer my question."

"I'm not allowed to talk about magic at all. I cant even tell Barnabas or Peggy!"

"Who?"

"Oh their my friends. Mom says I cant talk to them about magic because they might say mean things about me afterwards but they cant even talk!"

"So... theyre mute?"

"No. Barnabus is a tree and Peggy is an owl!"

Arthur was needless to say, shocked that Merlins only friends werent... really human.

"A tree."

"Yeah! And dont forget Peggy! She has really pretty feathers and theyre super soft! She lets me pet them sometimes."

"Really."

"Yup!"

Oooooooooooookay then. Time to change the subject.

"What about Will? isn't he your friend?"

"Who?"

"Will. shaggy brown hair?"

"Oh. I don;t really like him. He picks on me a lot."

"Really?"

"Well a lot of people pick on me but its okay. Hes a lot nicer than most people. Especially Ronald."

"What did he do to you?"


	8. Hurt

_Thank you for reviewing Rose PenGibbAck DragoSHaddo, guest, and DragonGirl725!_

"What did they do to you?"

Merlin let out a little shudder at the question.

"Merlin?"

"They used to hurt me all the time and I didn't like it. So I tricked them so that they'd trip and couldn't catch me."

"And?"

"They didn't like that. I was getting fire wood for momma and they ambushed me. They said I was using magic and that-"

Merlin buried his head in his arms at this point and a sniffling sound came from him as his eyes welled up with tears.

"They said that the only way to know for sure I wasn't using magic was if nothing happened when they were hurting me and if anything stopped them they'd call the dragon people to take me away! I couldn't do anything a-and they beat me and beat me and beat me-"

Merlin stopped trying to contain his tears and Arthur started to rub little circles on his back to help calm him down.

"They left and I _couldn't move_ or even _talk_! Momma didn't find me till the next morning and it was dark and I was scared and all alone-"

Merlin lost all ability to be coherent and sobbed, with Arthur not knowing what to do.


	9. Sick

_Thank you Rose PenGibbAck DragoSHaddo, JCR, DragonGirl725, Signal27, Emerys221Butterfly, and kimbanaf for reviewing!_

It had been three days since Merlin had been turned into a child.

In the whole time Arthur had not let Merlin out of his sight once.

And now Merlin was sick.

He didn't say much about it, but Arthur could just tell he was miserable by his face and how he clutched his stomach.

That and the fact that he threw up.

"Arthur, I think I'm sick."

"No kidding."

"It hurts. Do you have something to make it stop?"

"No, I dont know anything about medicine."

"Oh."

Five hours later and it had escalated to Merlin crying on the ground in a ball.

"Merlin, is there anyway I can help?"

"Just go away!"

"Merlin-"

At that moment, a burst of magic came from Merlin similar to before and just like before, Arthur found himself thrown against a tree.

For a moment anyway, until the tree along with many others fell down like dominoes.


	10. Begging and questions

_Thank you Berrybanana05, Emrys221Butterfly, Rose PenGibbAck DragoSHaddo, DragonGirl725, and Sleepy witch for reviewing!_

Almost every moment felt like a repeat of when Arthur learned about Merlins magic.

Merlin was trembling as Arthur approached him, and for every step he took forward, Merlin took one back.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean- It's just that-"

For the life of him Merlin couldn't stop stuttering so he just quit stalking for a moment and tried to catch his breath before looking up at Arthur with tears in his eyes.

"Please don't put me at stake. I-I won't ask you not to kill me, but please, anything but the stake! Beheadings, starvation, anything but that. A-and please don't punish my momma, she doesn't know anything about magic at all I promise!"

"Merlin-"

"Please, I'll go with you just don't hurt her!"

"Merlin! I'm not hurting anyone!"

"You're not?"

"No, I'm not. I just need to ask you a few questions ok?"

Merlin nodded but still looked suspicious.

"Who taught you magic?"

"No one!"

"I won't get mad, but tell me the truth."

"I am telling the truth, I don't know any spells or anything!"

"Ok, we'll come back to that then. How long have you used magic?"

"For as long as I can remember."

"That's…different. Why'd you attack me?"

"I didn't mean to I promise!"

"It's ok; I just want to know why."

"I didn't want to! It's just that you were always around me and I didn't want to use my magic cause I didn't want to die and it _hurt_ so bad and I was sick and it just wanted to _come out_ and I tried to stop it I really did but I couldn't-"

"Are you telling me that was on accident? The trees and everything?" Arthur asked in amazement. How could one child do all that by _accident_?

Merlin just nodded up at him.

"Because it came out on its own?"

"Yes, sometimes if I don't use it I get super sick and it hurts and I don't like it."

"I didn't know that magic worked like that. Do you get sick often?"

"Sometimes, it's not a problem if I just use it but that's _illegal._ "

"You know, I might know someone who can fix that."


	11. note

_ok so there wasnt supposed to really be anymore to this story nut people keep asking me to update so if you really want me to TELL ME what you want me to write_


	12. Shit Fucking Damn it

_Thank you Briar Rose the Awoken Maiden for your idea along with anyone else who reviewed!_

A few minutes later they heard the crack of branches and shocked sounds as the knights appeared and Arthur practically threw himself at them glad they were ok while Merlin nervously hid behind him.

They all hugged Arthur laughing before Gwaine and Elyan both spoke, looking between the trees and Merlin who was apparently a child now.

"What the fuck"

"The hell happened here?"

"Gwaine, Elyan, language please, there is after all a child here."

"WHOM the fuck"

"Fucking shit damn me and my fucking mouth oh shit there it is again."

Merlin let out a little giggle and Arthur face palmed.

This was going to be a long trip.


	13. The One Where Leons An Idiotic Prick

_Thank you An Angels Mother, SpnKsl5, DragonGirl725, Wolfy76398, BabyGlover, Daggerandcloak1513, Dossypet, Heart of the Flaming Sea, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, Briar Rose the Awoken Maiden, Wonky Wendy, Guest, knobrien21, Taz, and JJY221 for reviewing!_

 _And for all those asking for me to make Merlin an adult again, I already have planned out whether or not that will happen, though it's supposed to be a surprise. Please suggest something to go BEFORE the end of the story as that will be part of the ending._

"Ok, so let me get this straight." Leon said before getting cut off by a laugh.

"Haha, straight, yeah right."

"Shut up Gwaine, I'm trying to figure this out. So THAT" Leon pointed to the child sitting by Arthur. "Is Merlin?"

"Yes."

"And this happened because he jumped in front of a curse meant for you and apparently he was born with powerful enough magic to probably kill us?"

"If the forest is any indication that sounds about right."

"And you're letting an all-powerful sorcerer stick around and cuddle you why exactly?"

Arthur looked up from the sleeping child curled up on his lap and glared.

"Hes a child Leon."

"Ok, yes, but magic is EVIL and ILLEGAL and you just said yourself, he could most likely kill all of us with little to no difficulty! You can't just- you know-"

"What let him live? It's obvious that magic CAN'T be evil if children are born with it, come off it."

"But he could KILL us Arthur!"

"Yeah, and you keep talking he won't be the only one killing you" muttered Gwaine under his breath. Arthur found himself silently agreeing.

"That's not the point. The point IS that anyone could kill us. Bandits. A bear. A really determined cat. He's not special, literally ANYTHING can kill us."

"But- MAGIC!"

Arthur sighed and, for the second time within a few hours, face palmed groaning.

"Yes Leon Magic. May I also point out though, Merlin."


	14. Mordred and Emerys

_"Thank you to everyone who has commented. I must admit, it has been awhile since I've written and there is a reason for that. This story was supposed to end several chapters ago but you all insisted I write more so I did. Then a lot of the comments weren't that nice and every time I tried to write I just got really depressed? Anyway, I'm back, I have a plot, so I no longer need story ideas! Yay!_

As they were heading back to Camelot, they ran into Mordred because apparently a search party had been sent out for them.  
Mordered, for some reason, did not seem surprised to run into them at the least, nor surprised that Merlin was a child. In fact, immediately upon seeing Mordred Merlin ran right up to him for a hug. That at least seemed to surprise the boy.

Wait a second, of course he wasn't surprised he was a druid, he could probably feel the magic coming off of him. This actually might be a god sent, having someone who understood magic helping them.

"Your highness, why does it appear Merlin is a child?"

"Well, the curse was meant for me, but the idiot jumped in front of it. Mordred did you know Merlin had magic?"

Mordred froze on the spot. Seemed like a yes to Arthur.

"Mordred. We know and we've accepted it, we aren't going to hurt him. It's just- I know you used to be a druid, I was wondering if you could help us with magical knowledge?"

"It's not my secret to tell but- I suppose that you could die if you don't know, and Emerys would kill me for letting you die."

"Emerys?"

Mordred sighed as he sat down "Yes. We have a prophecy about a king, the once and future king who is to unite all of Albion and bring magic back with the help and protection of the most powerful sorcerer to ever live."

"And that would be?"

"My people call him Emerys, though you know him as Merlin"

"What the fu-"

"Which is why you could be in serious trouble. Emerys has been protecting you and saving your life at least once a week. And now he's a child."

"Shit."

"Quiet."


End file.
